Big Hands

There's more truth to that than you might imagine. This isn't your grandad's dip net. It's a product that was developed, made, and sold locally. It has a 10' long handle plus the hoop that is about 27" in diameter with a very fine, but open mesh netting. Cast nets are illegal here, and dip nets are legal. We can't buy minnows or other live bait fish here either because they cannot be legally transported. . . anywhere. You have to catch them on the day you are going to use them, and you can only use them in the body of water from where they were caught. A lot of dip nets move very slowly through the water, and it's even harder when they are larger than a typical landing net. The pics below are of one that is identical to mine but not of mine. I paid $225 for this one about 20 years ago. They are very hard to find and I have heard of people paying up to $400 for them. That's what I told myself about fishing with shad, and this is next level from that! For a lot of reasons, I'm going with "Big Dippin". Let the fun begin, LOL.

The big bass adrenaline shakes are for real, and those are some toads, especially for that latitude.

I have a large dip net and was scooping some shad this morning. Different situations call for different techniques. I had them corralled next to a dock and was putting the net down deep and slowly scooping upward and came up with this 6 lb 10 oz by-catch beauty in my shad net.

1/4 oz slab jigged off the bottom at the deep edge of the weeds. If you hook something small, reel it in very, very slowly. Almost like you're not reeling it in at all. . .

Guilty.

It's a risk we take. I'm sure you tried to do what you know to be safe practice. It happens occasionally. I guess you can go down the checklist for things like what depth she came from, how long the fight was, where she was hooked, and probably some other factors. Sorry that happened on an otherwise nice catch.

In a seemingly rare moment of ingenuity and lucidity "Randy" recently offered what looks to be a good tip on the Zoom Horny Toad when he suggested taking scissors and making a few angled cuts into the side of the bait so that it has more give when a bass clamps down on it. I am also interested to know if anyone has had a chance to fish the Zoom "Uni Toad"? I'll be trying one of these with a flashy swimmer when I can get my meat hooks on one and see what it does. The Horny Toad works, but I agree that it probably is a mouthful.

FWIW, the T-Wing on the Tatula 200 looks to be a bigger piece than it is on the smaller reels; less likely to hang up on a braid-to-leader knot. It is a bit more complex and all things else being equal, fancy rigs can have fancy problems, but I haven't had any issues with my T-Wing reels not working properly. You could also probably find a good buy on a used one for a little less, and see if you like it. If you like it, you can either keep it, or sell it for around what you paid and get a brand new one to keep for the long haul. I think a good used one will not be that much cheaper, especially after you pay for freight, etc. Physical size and capacity wise, the Shimano 200 size is smaller than the Daiwa 200, and the Shimano 300 is smaller than a Daiwa 300, and a Shimano 400 is smaller than a Daiwa 400. Daiwa's capacity charts are all over the map as far as accuracy, and at times seem like a deliberate attempt to confuse or a really inept marketing staff. A Curado 200K is a fine reel too, if the size and capacity work for you, but they are about $20-$50 more expensive than the Tatula 200 if you require a RH model, depending also on the desired gear ratio. Here is a spreadsheet I put together earlier this year when I was locked up in severe analysis paralysis over reels in this size range. The line capacities are as advertised and prices are MSRP. FWIW, I think Daiwa is spewing bovinian fecal sauce with regard to the line capacity of their 200 size reels. I got out my trusty, if not tired looking dial calipers and measured them and although the 200 Curado spool is smaller than the 200 Tatula spool, there is no way on earth it's as different as Daiwa's specs suggest it is.

First of all, I would go back and see if you can drag a slab around and possibly hook your old rig. I have a friend that has a pretty good track record of retrieving rods of his own, as well as those of friends. I picked up a pair of new Daiwa Tatula 200's for $140 each earlier this year. Excellent caster, and a strong drag. You can still find them for very close to that price.

I have the rod that I referenced. I am not that much of a jerkbait connoisseur to say whether this 6'10" rod is too stiff or how it stacks up against others. I mostly use a Shimano SLX 6'10" M/XF for jerkbait fishing TBH and it performs wonderfully AFAIK. I do have other Kage, Tatula, and Tatula Elite rods, and have found that they generally perform well for their intended purpose. I would also say that I have had one Kage 7' spinning rod that had a (non-Fuji) reel seat that I absolutely did not get along with (the foot squirmed in the seat), and I would advise people to check the fit of your reels in them before committing. On the rod I referenced and still own, I had no such issues.

Daiwa Kage KAG6101MFS (Jerkbait / Tube) Spinning M F 6'10" 1 6-14 1/8-3/4

1/8 oz tungsten worm weight (sinker stop about 3/16" above the weight, with a Z-man Crawz on a 1/0 Owner rigging hook. I use a whittled down flat toothpick to help keep the bait in place on the hook. This has been pure money on my Classic BFS rod with a Curado BFS. For those that have the Curado BFS, I highly recommend flushing the bearings out and lightly oiling them.

In most respects I would agree that BFS casting gear is more of a 'want' than a true 'need', and one can at least figure out how to get by with spinning gear for finesse techniques in most circumstances. The places I feel that baitcasters have an advantage are with regard to line twist with monofilament and fluorocarbon, and where fluorocarbon tends to want to 'spring forth and be free', especially on smaller spinning reels. Spinning reels are more small diameter braid friendly in my experience, and they are easier to cast. Once the casting has been achieved, I mostly prefer to retrieve a lure on casting gear. I think there's still a ways to go for many rod (and reel) makers (both mass market and custom builders) before it all gets figured out.

Split ring tweezers? OMG, be still my BFS rigging heart. LOL. I had no idea such a thing existed. And here I was contemplating a 'custom grind' on my smallest Texas Tackle pliers.

I have the 7'4" Classic BFS, and it is similar in action to my 7'6" St. Croix Mojo ML/XF Hair Jig spinning rod, but lighter power. It has a very light tip section (it has 16 guides, plus the tip), but does get stiffer. IMHO, the 1/16 - 1/4 ounce lure rating is accurate and I would not expect to throw less than 1/16 ounce and be OK with it, and I would exceed the 1/4 ounce at the upper end by a little bit and still have it perform. But, every bit of that 1/16 - 1/4 is it's sweet spot. I was deliberately throwing into an area (over a buoy line, so I had no option to go in after it when it snagged) that was about 2' or so deep and completely cover with rip rap sized rock, and had parts covered with bushes. I was throwing into and around the brushy areas. I was generally able to get through the brush just fine, but the crevices in the rock were somewhat challenging. That said, they were also challenging for 10-15 lb big game with more traditional sized baits. The best thing for me to do in either case was to not lose tension and keep it moving as much as possible, even if slowly. The bass were quite fine with this presentation :~). I tried a 1/16 ounce weight instead of 1/8, and it was more challenging to get it super far when I was casting into a 5-10 mph breeze, but I was till able to get it to the fish. The tradeoffs were a little easier to keep it from going to deep into the rocks but the breeze left some bow in the line. If the 7 lb fluoro wouldn't break when snagged, the rod had the backbone to pull it free, but it doesn't load up to that point quickly like a heavier power rod would. No surprise there. If you look at the tip section, it looks super thin, and it is, but it's also solid in the tip section of the blank. I don't know if the Phenix Classic BFS is for everyone, but I love it so far, and now I am trying to figure if the ML/L Feather's future (I already sold my L/F Feather) is within my quiver or someone else's.

I have the 7’4” and I am trying to resist gushing over it, but I share your sentiments for sure. I’ve been having a blast with it. Caught four on it this morning using texas rigged zman crawz with a 1/8 ounce tungsten worm weight. Today I was throwing it into a breeze and it performed admirably.

After trying the Phenix Feather ML and L for BFS duty along with a couple of Curado BFS reels, I was contemplating an end to my BFS journey and just relying on spinning rods for those techniques. I actually sold the L Feather and one of the Curados. I ended up trying a Phenix Classic BFS rod and paired it up with the Curado BFS with 7 lb Daiwa Samurai fluoro. This rig hit the jackpot for me. I can toss an 1/8 oz Texas rig bait over 100' and it handles fish pretty well, which has made it a super fun rig to fish.

The big bass adrenaline shakes are for real. They still like trout. They (and the stripers) can chase the freshly stocked trout right back up onto the ramp where the truck is pouring them into the lake. This Castaic Lake bass certainly enjoyed trout so much last month that he had a second one just like this sticking out from his stomach and yet still felt the need to slurp the Senko my buddy tossed to it.

Terrorizing indeed. That's putting it nicely. Poor coots don't stand a chance.

The options I would suggest for you are: Weightless wacky Senko with a #2 or #4 hook like a mosquito or wide gap finesse, or something similar. Most plastics I fish thoroughly all or most of the way back to the boat. With the WW Senko, it usually gets bit within the first 30 seconds, maybe a couple hops. It usually gets bit on the initial fall. I will cast it anywhere from onshore and drag it in, or RIGHT at the water's edge. Maybe offshore if it's not getting bit near the bank, but I start within 6" to 12" from the bank. Bluff walls are great, but you have to find what they like in your water. These things are just stupid, silly effective. I let them sink on a slack or semi-slack line. I can usually still feel them pick it up. Don't swing, just reel into them until you feel the weight and then continue reeling as you lift the rod tip. I fish them a LOT from April through September. Texas rig. Your options are limitless here, but something to get you started might be a 4.5" Roboworm with a 1/4 ounce worm weight (I like tungsten for this, but that's up to you). MMIII, Oxblood, or Halogram Shad are the three main Robo colors I keep in multiple styles. Glass bead optional. I fish slow and deliberate, but try different retrieve speeds. Carolina rig: 3/8 to 3/4 ounce sinker (egg sinker is fine, but you can use tungsten flipping weights if you like the Gucci stuff). I like a 3' to 4.5' leader connected by a simple swivel. I retrieve them as absolutely slow as I can turn the handle, and then try to cut that speed in half; three minutes or more to retrieve a cast. Baits can be ANYTHING you'd throw with a Texas rig or a dropshot really. If I had to suggest a bait to start, it would be a 4" Keitech Swing Impact (not the 'fat' one) on a #2/0 Rebarb worm hook with a toothpick to help hold it in place. I know the Swing Impact is a 'swimbait', but this simply works. Crawl your c-rig though cover. It will get bit anywhere, but be especially focused when crawling though rockpiles, brush, and trees. And if you're hanging up at the edges of weedlines, pull the line taut, and then give it a little 'pop' to free it but try not to pull it far . . . Hang on. I'll fish a carolina rig anywhere from 0' - 30'. This technique works all year, but definitely outshines other plastics for me in the winter. If you have a casting rig that is borderline BFS, try the Z-Man Crawz (2.75") with a 1/8 oz worm weight and a #1/0 Owner Rig-N hook. I like a sinker stop just above the weight, maybe 1/8", but it's optional. If fish are chasing shad or other baitfish op top, throw a Super Fluke rigged with a centering pin threaded into the nose, and then nose hook the Fluke through the middle of the pin with a dropshot. Fish it like a jerkbait. You can use a clear, partially filled casting bubble with the fluke 3' behind it too if you need to cast it further. Smoke or white; I'd go with Smoke or some other shad color. The Jr's work well too if you can deliver them to the boils. Your area may have other baits that are hot where you live. I suggest scaling down in size to start catching sooner (2.5" to 5"). Scale up at night (7" to 10" curl/ribbon tails WILL get bit at night for me more than they will during the day). I like using scent when fishing plastics. Your call. LOL. In 2021, I fished Castaic over 50 days and caught bass every trip. Every bass I caught in 2021 was caught on soft plastics. I have been trying to branch out in the other direction. Most of the baits I catch with still have plastics of some sort, like the Flashy Swimmer with paddle tail swimbaits. The worm dragger in me has me retrieving them just fast enough to keep the blade turning, and I like them in and around cover. Old habits are hard to break.

For something like the 3/0 and 5/0 Flashy Swimmer with a 4.8" Keitech Fat Swing Impact, my 7'3" Daiwa Kage MH/F works great. For the 5/0 Flashy Swimmer with 5.8" Fat Swing Impact, the 7'1" Phenix H/F (all of those are fished with 15 lb Big Game. And for the 6/0 Flashy Swimmer with a 6.8" Fat Swing Impact and the Little Creeper Sunfish with the 8/0 Beast Hook Flashy Swimmer, my 8'6" Kage 861HRB Swimbait rod with 20 lb Big Game mono is perfect for horsing them out and away from the tules. I'm not chunking and winding these through open water. I am fishing them in, around, and through cover (tules and bushes) in 1-5 ft. of water dragging them across the bottom. You have to bust 'em hard and get them moving to you quick or you'll get wrapped up in a hurry. This is the Little Creeper with the 8/0 Beast Hook Flashy Swimmer on 20 lb Big Game. That swimbait rod handled it's business nicely. If you're swimming smaller baits through relatively open water, you might not need so much rod, but even the 3/0 hook needs a firm hookset to bury the barb.

Yes, the 7'1" H/F. It's more like a MH+. IMHO, they do, for better or worse.